Dr. Kristin Hogquist is the American Association of Immunologists’ 2021 Distinguished Fellow

Kristin Hogquist, PhD, the David M. Brown professor and vice chair for Research in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School, has been named a 2021 Distinguished Fellow by The American Association of Immunologists (AAI). Dr. Hogquist is one of 16 others to be recognized for dedicating over 25 years toward excellence in research, leadership and education.

“Being elected a distinguished fellow is among the highest honors endowed by The American Association of Immunologists,” said Dr. Hoguist, who is also the associate director of the Center for Immunology. “It is given in recognition of excellence in research accomplishment in the field of immunology and exceptional leadership to the immunology community in academia.” 

Dr. Hogquist earned a bachelor’s degree from St. Catherine University before heading to Washington University for her doctorate. Minnesota is her home, and after completing her education, she returned to work as an assistant professor, here, at the U of M Medical School. Since then, she has been recognized for her outstanding research in the field of immunology. 

Dr. Hogquist has centered most of her research on T cell development in the thymus. She mentioned her research in an interview with AAI after receiving the AAI-Thermo Fisher Meritorious Career Award in 2019. 

“T cells are really the central organizer of the immune response,” she said. “The immune response is very sophisticated and different depending on each type of infection involved, which is one of the great joys of being an immunologist – it’s understanding how beautifully complex our immune response is to different kinds of pathogens.”

Dr. Hogquist will attend the AAI annual meeting in May of 2021 to receive this award. More information can be found at www.aai.org